but do you think mccain's right? >> no, i don't think he is. it's maybe that romney can't do something himself. but if obama has a slipup, i mean that debate you referenced the gore-bush debate. i was at that debate and didn't realize what a spectacular disaster it was because i didn't hear the sigh. it was the sigh heard around the world when you were watching it at home on television. i think that damaged gore. he didn't recover from it in subsequent debates. if obama has that sort of a slipup, that can change the trajectory. i think more often than not, these debates aren't conclusive. if the debate isn't conclusive the race at this point goes to obama. >> i want to bring in governor jack markel. good to have you here. how important are these expectations? >> they certainly got a lot of play on the talk shows. but in the end i also give credit to the american people. they're going to sort it through. they've been sorting it through now for months. and certainly since the convention. it comes down to who's got the energy behind him. >> does m